Music reviews. CD reviews. Critically hip!

Rhino Records had the last word on 70’s compilations in 1998 when they unloaded their shag rug adorned classic multi-disc Have A Nice Decade on the box set market. 

 

Not to be outdone (even by themselves!), the brainy record company has now given the same treatment to the decade of Gekko’s, Boeksy’s and all the other fun excesses with, Like, Omigod! The '80s Pop Culture Box (Totally). 

 

A 7 CD 142 song mega-set, the collection is not just some run-of-the-mill grouping of lame Foreigner and Journey schlock-rockers. 

 

While it has plenty of the mainstream hits (“Come On Eileen,”  “Jessie’s Girl,”  “Maneater”) and a chunk of novelties (“Pac Man Fever”, “Valley Girl”) and metal (“Come On Feel The Noize,”  “Rock You Like A Hurricane”), the set also hits on some of the brightest and more interesting pop moments and one hit wonders of the 80’s including: Billy Idol’s (hardly a one hit wonder) self love fest, “Dancing With Myself”; the Talking Heads side project  - Tom Tom Club – and their infectious, “Genius Of Love”;  Missing Persons, led by falsetto queen Dale Bozzio and the synthesizer drenched “Words”; Bow Wow Wow’s hot remake of the Strangelove’s “I Want Candy”;  Dave Wakeling’s post-English Beat combo, General Public, who scored big time with “Tenderness”; and Toni Basil’s cheerleading epic, “Mickey” (which just never seemed to go away - and thanks to the flick Bring It On - it won’t be going anytime soon). 

 

Also, a highlight from the set is the now overlooked Madness whose sole Top 5 US hit “Our House,” was a departure from a band that was primarily a Ska outfit.  And a forgotten gem of a one-minor-hit-wonder called Martin Briley whose spectacular “The Salt In My Tears,” barely (and unjustly) scrapped the Top 40 in 1983.  

 

While its sculpted black and pastel adorned rubber cover is not as original as the shag rug from the 70’s set, it is a fun and indispensable time capsule of another decade that looks better the further you get away from it.